


a bird predicament

by lia_bility



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: M/M, Mild Angst, Mild Cursing, They/Themrey, deadass? benrey gets a bird, i was bored, idk how to tag things just. birds, soon fluff, the relationship is implied
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:39:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27098227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lia_bility/pseuds/lia_bility
Summary: gays and birds . what more do you want from me
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman
Comments: 7
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i got pigeons like... yesterday... and i got so excited about it that i wrote this  
> does it count as self projection? maybe? ehhh???  
> also im gonna continue it w a few more chapters but for now introduction time

“Benrey, I'm home.” Gordon yawned, dropping his bag by the door. He'd come back for it later. As he pulled off his shoes, someone peeked around the corner.

“W-welcome back, mr- no, uh, Gordon!” Tommy beamed, giving him a nervous wave.

“Oh. Hey, Tommy.” He smiled back, shrugging his coat off his shoulders. Per usual, Benrey kept the house inhumanly cold, and he could feel himself start to shiver.

“How was w, work today?” Tommy asked, glancing over his shoulder into the living room. He looked nervous, which put Gordon on edge, but it couldn't be that bad.

“Uhh, it was fine. I'm still… adjusting.” He made a fist with his prosthetic as a gesture. Tommy nodded understandingly, smiling softly. “I'm sure you'll-you'll get the hang of it soon!”

He just chuckled in response. “Oh, hey. Do you know where Benrey is, by any chance?”

As if on cue, Benrey’s cackling could be heard in the distance. Following it was a blur of gray, flying over their heads into the other room. Benrey was running after it, their arms outstretched.

Tommy gasped. “Benrey! You were- you were supposed to hold onto her!” He yelped and ran after them, leaving Gordon standing confused by the door.

“...The fuck?” He mumbled, forcing himself out of his paralyzation to chase after them. 

In the kitchen now stood both his boyfriend and his best friend, staring up on top of the fridge. Well, Tommy was staring at eye level, but still. On top of the fridge was a bird.

A pigeon, to be exact.

“yooo. she can fly. so cool.” Benrey snickered, turning to look at Tommy. He laughed as well, gently lifting the pigeon. “Of course she can, she's- she's a bird!” 

Tommy placed the pigeon on Benrey’s head, and miraculously, it stayed there. 

After a few seconds of standing there in shock, he felt a surge of emotions bubbling up. “So is anyone going to explain why the fuck there's a bird in my house?” He snapped, arms crossed.

Tommy jumped, spinning around. Benrey didn't seem bothered, just turning their head. “hey.” they said, voice falling monotone again. 

He ignored it for now, despite knowing that would likely make them upset. “Tommy. Talk to me.”

“W-well, um… Benrey was talking about, wanting a- a pigeon the other day… and you guys don't have any pets… so I.. um… bought them a pigeon..!” He stammered, hands clasped together as to prevent fidgeting. He looked genuinely upset now, a rare sight. 

“So you just.. went and bought them a bird, one that we don't have ANY supplies for, and NO experience with, just because they said they wanted one?” Gordon hissed, gesturing wildly with his hands.

Tommy went to speak, but was silenced right before. “maaan. you're being really fuckin’ cringe right now…” Benrey muttered, frowning. A bit of brown to tan Sweet Voice bubbled up, popping on the ceiling. “c’mon… it's just a lil bird… can't be that hard… and, like, you never buy me anything that i want. wtf! at least our… good friend tommy is nice to me. gordon meanman all over again.” 

“I also did my- my research on them, Mr. Freeman. I even taught Benrey while you were gone.” Tommy pitched in, forcing a smile. “I brought the um- the supplies too. To get them started.” 

“yeahhhh. i know pigeon shit now. rad stuff.” They contributed, snickering.

Gordon was silent, processing all of what he was just told. On one hand, he felt… proud? Maybe because Benrey actually stood up for themselves, or maybe just because they used sources other than wikihow for information. On the other, not as real hand, he still wasn't fully on board.

But Benrey had a point. He can't remember the last time he bought any kind of gift for them. 

He sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead. “You know what? Sure. If you really do know what you're doing, you can keep the bird.” He paused. “And, Tommy… thanks.”


	2. BIRD TIME BIRD TIME

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please look up birds on leashes its the cutest shit
> 
> this entire fic has like. no plot other than bird. but hopefully that is sustainable

Before Tommy left, he helped Gordon set up the bird cage inside, and the extra one outside. Apparently pigeons needed more room than advertised. 

Now he was on the couch, flipping through the printed pamphlet of information that was left behind as well. Benrey was to his right, messing around with the bird on their arm. 

He glanced over, letting the hand he held the paper in lower to his lap. “What's her name again?” He asked, head tilted.

“uhhhhhhhhhhhh. she doesn't have one yet.” Benrey frowned, looking over at him. 

“Mh. Better get on that.” Gordon responded, moving to set the paper on the coffee table. “bro… give me a minute..” They whined, slumping down on the couch.

“It can't be that hard. Name her after a video game character or something,” He snorted, watching as the pigeon hopped down to settle on Benrey’s leg instead.

“hear me out. what if. we named her. bitch.”

“W- Benrey, no.”

“it's a female dog!”

“This is a female pigeon.”

“ok fine. uhhhhhh…... fuckwad.”

“You can't name her that either.”

“man…”

Benrey sat there for a minute, eyes trained on the bird. After a bit of thinking, they grinned, growing excited.  
“pokemon. pidove. pigeon pokemon.”

Gordon chuckled. “Pidove? Really?” The name was cute, really. He didn't know much about Pokemon, like, at all, but with Benrey around he had heard enough to know what a Pidove was. Vaguely, at least.

“you got somethin against pidove? huh?” They lifted the bird on their finger, still smiling.

“Nah. It's fitting. Pidove it is.” He stood up, dusting off his hands. “We should probably go get more stuff from the pet store. Don't know how long this'll last us.” He glanced at the clock on the wall behind him. “And they close soon, so hurry.”

Benrey stood up, still holding Pidove. She was surprisingly calm around them, even after just meeting them today. “can i bring her?? little bird leash? tommy got it?” They held up the harness.

It was true, Tommy had even bought a bird harness and leash big enough for the bird. He had really prepared for everything.

“Sure. Make sure it's tight enough, though. Don't think she'll come back if she gets loose.” Still having been in his work clothes, he simply put his coat back on and slipped back into his shoes.

“have more faith in pidove.” They responded, sliding the harness onto the bird and fastening the leash. 

-

Locking the car, Gordon held his hand out for Benrey to take. They intertwined their fingers before heading for the store entrance.

Pidove was sitting on Benrey’s shoulder, the leash in their free hand. She didn't seem to mind the harness, or being on a leash. Instead, she just sat there, observing the surroundings.

“Huh. Maybe I should trust her a little more.” He remarked. Benrey snickered. “yeah. you should. cringeman not trusting pidove.” He rolled his eyes. 

Pidove cooed, earning an over dramatic gasp from their owner. “baby’s first words !!!” They yelped, tugging on Gordon’s hand excitedly.

He barked a bit of surprise laughter. “You're like a parent now.” He responded, taking out his phone and snapping a picture of both Benrey and the pigeon.

They stepped into the store and made their way back to the bird section, specifically the “wild bird” part of the isles. 

“So we need more food just in case, and… I guess whatever else you think she'll want.” Gordon shrugged, lifting the bag of bird food off the shelf.

“toooooyyyssss.” Benrey responded, managing to sound enthusiastic while maintaining a flat tone of voice.

“You should let Pidove pick them out, then.” They nodded at that, lifting the bird from their shoulder and holding them in front of racks of bird toys.

“choose wisely.” They added, getting a snort out of Gordon. Pidove seemed uninterested in most of them, except for one toy down at the bottom.

It was like a leather tassel, but with a bell in the middle. At that, she pulled at one of the strips, tugging as if to try and get it down.

“she has chosen.” Benrey pulled the toy off the hook and held it up, grinning. Pidove chirruped, seeming to agree.

“So she has. I think that's it, then.” He draped his free arm around Benrey, and they made their way to the checkout.

-

Once they got home, Benrey took the harness off the bird and set her in the inside cage, along with her new toy. She immediately began tugging at it, and the bell started to ring.

“You don't expect me to sleep through that, do you?” Gordon sighed, still smiling. “get used to it.” They responded, fascinated as they watched Pidove play.

He smiled softly, leaving them to their bird as he went to his room. He pulled out his phone, opening his texts.

Texting Tommy was pointless, really. He never texted unless it was too late to call; too late was any time between midnight and 4am. Right now it was only 10pm, meaning as soon as Gordon hit send, he would get a call from Tommy.

Predicting it correctly, his phone started to ring in his hand, and he quickly accepted the call and put it to his ear.

“Hi Mr- um, G-Gordon!” The other line crackled with the sound of static before settling down, as usual with his phone. “Hey, Tommy.”

“How- How is Benrey’s bird?” Tommy asked. In the background, the panting of a dog was just barely audible. Sunkist, probably.

“She's doing fine. They named her Pidove.” Gordon responded, leaning back against his bed. 

“Oh! Like the Pokemon?” He smiled, even if Tommy couldn't see it. “Of course you would know.”

“Anyways, she started chirping today. It got Benrey really excited. I took a picture of it, blackmail material, maybe. If you catch my drift.” Tommy chuckled. “I-I get it! Send it to me after this, please?”

“Sure will.” He responded. They chatted for a while longer, mainly about the bird with some sidetracking thanks to Sunkist. 

“Before I go, I just wanna say thank you again. Kinda thought I'd hate the bird, but I mean…” Gordon paused. “It makes them really happy. Which is nice.”

Knowing Tommy, he was probably smiling a lot by now. “N-No need to thank me, Gordon! I'm glad he likes her. If- If you ever need anything else, um, I can provide!”

“I'll hold you to it. Talk to you later.”

“Bye!”

He hung up first, tossing his phone back to his pillow. Outside his door, he could hear Benrey cackling again, and footsteps too. They probably let the bird out to fly. 

While he should go intervene, he was truthfully enjoying hearing Benrey happy, so he waited a few more minutes before going to ruin the fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back at it again w da pigeon CONTENT
> 
> comments & kudos are appreciated they will fuel my motivation and my ego  
> two for one (or two) deal


	3. gamer bird ... wild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> short fluff chapter before the next one   
> becuz that one is going to drain me and i will turn into a pulp before its even done

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry its short : ( i promise the last 2 chapters will be longer and better quality   
> but its 4am here and I haven't slept and my motivation is LACKING

The next morning, Gordon stepped into the kitchen, greeted by the sight of both Benrey and Pidove sitting at the table with a bowl between them. 

As he walked in, Benrey turned their head to look at him. “sup.” They said, smiling. 

“Morning.” He responded, planting a brief kiss on their forehead, before moving to the counter and fishing out the items for coffee.

“ohhhhh shit…. she stole one.” Benrey remarked, words broken apart with little snickers. Pidove had flown off in the direction of the living room, something grasped firmly in her beak.

He looked over his shoulder. “Stole what?” He questioned, leaning back a little further. 

“a blueberry.” They picked up the bowl, tipping it to the side to show Gordon the contents. They weren't lying. The bowl had a few blueberries left by now, which almost rolled out onto the table just now.

“Careful.” He muttered, turning back around. “Can she even have those?” 

They shrugged. “read it somewhere. she likes them anyway.” He just nodded, and the room went silent.

Only for a few minutes though, because right after Gordon had finished his coffee, Benrey piped up again.

“yooo… what if we got fuckin… chickens?” They grinned, looking up at him. He snorted, gently shaking his head.

“What? No way. I don't think we have the room anyways.” Benrey looked offended. “you're lying. you said we had like… one whole acorn.”

He choked, leaning over on the table. “Acre. One whole acre.” Gordon wheezed with laughter. “ohhhhhhh. yeah that makes sense. still. chickens? please thank you?”

He coughed, standing back up straight. “We don't know how to take care of chickens. Maybe later on. Plus, I think you're fine with Pidove for right now, dude.” At the sound of her name, the pigeon flew in, landing on the table with a quiet coo.

Benrey perked up, patting her head with one finger. “maybe…. what about another pigeon? more friends?” Truthfully, that was something he had thought of too.

Pigeons were apparently decently social birds, and did need friends, whether that be a human (or eldritch being, in Benrey’s case,) or another bird.

“You know what? Eventually, you can get another pigeon. Not yet though. Let's work with her first.” Benrey whispered a drawn out “yesss” as he picked up the last blueberry from the bowl, holding it out to Pidove. She took it gratefully and used her beak to break it down enough to swallow.

“You know, you're surprisingly good with pets.” Gordon remarked, taking the bowl and walking over to the sink. “yeah bro. funny little friends. way better than uh… real people.” Pidove chirped her agreeance, roosting on the edge of the table. 

“That's true.” He checked his watch, reading the time. It was only 9am now, so they still had the entire day ahead of them.

“Did you have any plans for today?” He yawned, turning to face Benrey. They shook their head no, standing up from the table. “just wanna do nothin again. and play games.”

Gordon nodded. “Solid plan. Let's go ahead and get started then.” 

As they made their way to the living room, Pidove flew past them both and landed on the TV. “You should teach her how to play.” He commented, sitting down on the couch.

“gamer bird!” Benrey crowed, turning on the console of their choice and shuffling in next to him on the couch. “yooo… let’s teach her how to play minecraft.”

Gordon just snorted. The chances of a pigeon learning how to play a game as mildly complex as Minecraft were slim, but Benrey was determined. They ended up playing for the next 3 hours, desperately trying to show the bird what to do.

Did it work? Probably not, but it was still bonding of some sorts, and really that was what mattered to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh yeah i decided  
> there will be 2 more chapters after this and then it is ! done! woo!  
> but maybe one day i will write more bird shit. one day

**Author's Note:**

> deadass? brown to tan? yeah. it means "not cool, man." i hate my brain  
> how do i write tommy please tell me i did not fuck it up entirely  
> comments and kudos are appreciated (that is, if you wanna boost my ego)


End file.
